Ensilage-cutter



D. E. VIRTUE.

ENSILAGE CUTTER.

`PPLIC/fl-ION F|LED APR. l0, |920. LSS.. Patented Dec. 28, i920.

3 SHEET D.`E. VIRTUE.

FILED APR. l0, |920.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEEI 2.

D. E. VIRTUE.

ENSILAGE CUTTER.

APPUCATION FILED APR. lo, 1920.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEEI 3.

' sleeve carries a drivin ENSILAGE-CUTTER.

- application ined april 1o,

To all whom t may concern:

,Be it known that l, DENNIS F. VIRTUE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Ensilage- Cutters; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved ensilage cutter, and to such ends, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined inthe claims.

As illustrated in the drawings, the ensilage cutter is designed to be carried on a truck, so that it is readily portable from place to place, but so far as the invention is concerned, it may be either portable or fixed.

The invention involves various features of.novelty, but the novelty is chiefly in an improved arrangement of the means for supporting and driving the ensilage cutter, which latter is preferably a combined cutter and fan head. As a salient novel feature, l employ a tubular fixed spindle, extend a4 shaft through this spindle and mount a driving sleeve on the exterior of the spindle. sleeve are connected for simultaneous ro, tation at one end of the ixedfspindle. rlFhe pulley, or the like, and also the head, which latter carries the ensilage lcutting knife and the fan blades. The shaft that is extended through the fixed spindle, at its' extended end, transmits motion to mechanism that drives the ensilage feeding device, consisting preferably of coperatingfeed rollers and an endless feed belt. The mechanism last noted,

p also comprises a reversible variable speed gear mechanism for driving the ensilagel feeding devices.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings whereinlike characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the ensilage cutting machine, some parts being removed.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken approximately Specification of Letters Patent. ylpmjentdl Me. 289 119241).;

1920. Serial No. 372,944.

on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 and showing the reverslble variable speed gear mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the lined- 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a view partly Y in plan and partly 1n horizontal section and with some parts broken away, showing particularly the manner inewhich the xed spindle is supported and in which the shaft and driving sleeve and various other parts are mounted in connection therewith;

F 1g. 6 is a fragmentary viewillustrating the manner in which the xed spindle is anchored to the gear housing which supports the same, all of the running parts being removed; and l Fig. 2n is a diagrammatic elevation of.

The shaft and the driving l/The front wheels 12 are journaled to a front axle 13, which,`at its central portion, is connected by a knuckle joint 14 to a stem 15 that is swiveled in a tubular column 16, the upper end of which latter is rigidly se cured to the front end of a long and quite large pipe 17 that constitutes what is herein designated as a reach. This tubular reach, ,at its rear end, closely fits into a semi-cylindrical seat 18 formed on the gear box 8; and the rear end of said reach is rigidly connected to said gear box by boltsecured anchoring straps 19, or any other suitable means that will rigidly secure said reach to the gear box, and hence, to the bed frame 7.

The bed frame 7 at one side of the gear box 8,"is provided with a horizontal ledge 20, to which, by screws 21, or the like, the fixed shearing blade 22 of the ensilage cutter is rigidly secured.

As a bearing for the combined fan and .movable cutter, and for certain other arts.

lsecured to the frame casting 7 and projects both forward and rearward of the upstanding flange thereof, as best shown in Fig. 5; This fixed spindle 23 lies quite close yto one end of the shearing blade 22 and its axis is horizontally disposed at ninety degrees to the cutting edge of said blade.

Mounted to rotate upon the rear end portion of the fixed spindle 23 is a sleeve 24, herein .designated as the driving sleeve, and this sleeve is provided .at its rear end with a pulley 25 over which will run a power driven b`elt, not shown, but which will transmit all ofthe power of the running parts of the machine. The arrangement .shown contemplates the use of the engine and driving belt, but if the machine is .to be driven by an electric motor, it might be possible to apply the armature or rotor thereof, directly to the sleeve 24, in lieu of the pulley 25. Preferably, and as shown,

Timken bearings 26 which resist thrusts, as

well as reduce friction due to rotation are interposed between the sleeve 24 and spindle 23. The numeral 27 indicates a cap that is bolted,or otherwise rigidly but detachably secured to the pulley 25; and this cap is rigidly secured to theI rear end of a driving vshaft 28 that is extended axially through and is journaled in the fixed spindle 23.

. At the rear end of the spindle, a roller bearing 29y is shown as interposed between the said shaft and spindle, and this shaft, at itsrrear end, is equipped with a worm 30 that is located within the rear end of the tubular reach 17. L

f The worm 30 is in mesh with a worm gear 31, which, as shown, works through aslot in the bottom of the tubular reach 17 and in the seat 18. This worm gear is rigidly secured to a countershaft 32 that is journaled in suitable bearings afforded by the gearbox 8 and projects therefrom at one end (see particularly Fig. 4). The extended end of ishaft 32 is surrounded by a long sleeve' 33 that is capable of sliding and oscillatory movement on saidshaft, and at its outer end is provided with a lever 34, the purpose of -which will presently appear.

At its inner end, the sleeve 33 is provided n with a shipper head 35 to the lower arm 'of which an intermediate gear 36 is journaled.

This intermediate gear 36 meshes with a gear 37 that is keyed to rotate with the shaft 32, but is free to slide thereon and is ada ted `to be shifted axially by the head 35. lille numeral 38 indicates a gear that is free to rotate on the shaft 32, but is held against sliding movements by a lug 39 on the ear box 8, (see Fig. 4).v The gears 37 an 38 are provided wlth coperating half clutches 40 that are adapted to be en'gaged as hereinafter described.

By oscillatory and slidin the sleeve 33, accomplishe` movements of by manipulaent sized gears 41, 42 and 43 keyed to ro-l l tate with a shaft 44, is journaled in the gear box 8 and is extended andalso journaled in a fixed lframe bar 45.4 The extended portion of the shaft 44 (see Figs. l and 2), carries a toothed or corrugated feed roller 46'tl1at works closely adjacent to the rear edge of the fixed shearing blade 22. The loose gear 38 runs in mesh with a similar gear 38a (see Fig. l), that is also secured to the shaft 44.

-A driving sleeve 24, already described, carries the fan head and the ensilage cutting knife. The fan head (see Figs. l, 2 and 5) comprises a disk 47 that carries the fan blades 48, and also carries the ensilage cutting knife 49, the latter being-positioned to pass in close contact with the cutting edge of a fixed blade 22. There may, of course, be any desired number of these knives 49, but only one is shown in the drawings.

From the above, it will be seen that, by

thesleeve mounted on the exterior and the shaft journaled at the interior, of the fixed spindle-23, the fan and ensilage cutter are operated from the first noted element and the transmission of power for driving the feedin mechanism is effectually accomplishe from a single driving element, such as a driving pulley. Moreover, the arrangement is such that there is no possibility of the wheel or element that carries the knife or knives getting out of alinement with the fixed shearing blade. Also, a long compact construction is afforded in which the driving shaft is free from the load in the action of the fan head. y

The fan head and the movable ensilage cutting knife or knives. are arranged i0 work within the fan casing 50 suitably supported from the framework 7 and provided `with the customary tangential discharge a well .known manner.-

For feeding the corn stalk to the I have shown 'an endless feed belt 52 arranged to run over sprockets 53 and 54, respectively,.on shafts 55 and 56. The shaft 55 is journaled in the frame bar 45 and in a similar fixed frame bar 45, (see Fig. 1), while the shaft 56 is journaled in the excutter,

tended end of a trough-like conveyer frame 57 Athat is suitably secured to the reach 17 and certain other parts of the machine and has a deck 58 over which the upper portion of the feed belt 52 is arranged to travel.

The shaft 44, to whichV toothed feed roller 46 is secured, is provided at its extended end (see Figs. 1 and 28),'with a sprocket 59 that is alined with a sprocket 60 on the end of the shaft and with a sprocket 61 on the frame bar 45. A sprocket chain 62 runs over the three alined sprockets 59, 60 and 61, and thus transmits motion from the roller shaft 44 to the\ sprocket shaft 55, thereby driving the feed belt 52. Sprocket 60 has an extended hub that carries a spur gear 63 that meshes with a spur gear 64 (see Figs.` 2a and 4), that is loosely journaled to theupwardly extended end of the frame bar 45, and on its hub carries a sprocket 65. rfhe numeral 66 indicates a floating upper feed roller that works just above the feed roller 46. This feed roller 66 is journaled to the rear ends of a pair of parallel links 67 that are pivoted to the upper end portion of the frame bars and 45a at points concentric 'to the axis of spur gear 64 and sprocket 65. The roller 66 has a shaft 66a which, at one end, is equipped with a sprocket 68, over which, and the sprocket 65, a sprocket chain 69 is arranged to run, so as to thereby impart a rotary motion in the proper direction to the upper roller. Obviously, the two feed rollers will be rotated in reverse directions so as to produce the proper feeding movement to the enslage cutter of the stalks delivered to the rollers by the feed belt.

It is now evident that by adjustments of the movable intermediate gear 36 into mesh with any one of the three gears 41, 42, 43, the feed rollers 46 and 66 and the feed 'belt 52 may be driven in a forward direction at various different speeds, in respect to the speed of rotation of the combined fan and y ensilage cutter. llt will also be evident that when the gear 3? (see Fig. 4) is slid to the Y left so that the half clutches 40 will be engaged, the shaft 32 will then be directly connected to gear 38 and the direction of travel of the. feed devices will then be reversed.

Foreffecting the above adjustments of the reversible variable speed gear mechanism. the operating lever 34 is preferably arranged to coperate with a latch plate 70 (see Fig. 1) that is rigidly secured to the frame 7. rfhis latch plate 70 has a lever passage 71 thatn is formed with odset steps 72, 73, 74 and 75. When lever 34 'is engaged with step 72, gear 36 will be engaged with small gear 41, and feed devices will then be driven forward at the highest speed; when lever 38 is engaged with step 73, gear 36 will be engaged with intermediate gear 42 and the feed mechanism will then be driven forward at intermediate speed; when lever 34 is engaged with step 74, gear 36 will be engaged with the largest gear 43 and the feed mechanism will then be driven forward at the slowest speed; and when the lever 34 is engaged with step 75, gear 37 will be interlocked to,

the combination with a fixed tubular spindle,

of a rotary member journaled in said tubular spindle, a second rotary member including a driving means journaled on said spindle and connected to rotate with said shaft, a stock cutter driven by one of said rotary members, and a feed mechanism driven by the other of said rotary members andl operative to deliver stock to Said cutter.

2'. in a machine of the character described, the combination with` a fixed tubular spindle. of a rotary shaftjournaled in said tubular spindle, a rotary sleeve journaled on said spindle and connected to rotate with said shaft, a stock cutter driven by one of said rotary members, and a feed mechanism driven by the other of said rotary members and operative to deliver stock to said cutter, and a power driven driving member directly connected to one of said two rotary members.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a fixed tubular spindle, of a shaft extended therethrough and a sleeve mounted thereon, a driving pulley on said sleeve. said shaft and sleeve being connected for common rotation, of feed mechanism driven from said shaft, and a fan operated from said sleeve, the connection between said shaft and feed mechanism including a worm on one end of said shaft and a worm gear meshing with said worm.

4. The combination with a frame member and a fixed tubular spindle rigidly secured thereto. of a rotary shaft journaled in said tubular spindle, a rotary sleeve journaled on said spindle and connected at one end to said shaft for common rotation therewith. two mechanisms. one driven from said shaft and the other from said sleeve and a power driven driving element applied to said sleeve.

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a framework and a fixed tubular spindle rigidly secured thereto. a shaft extended axially through and journaled in said spindle. a sleeve journaled on said spindle. a coupling head applied to said shaft and sleeve and coupling the same at one end for common rotation. a fan and cutter head, and a feeding mechanism, one driven from said shaft and one from saidV sleeve, and a power driven means for rotating said sleeve and shaft.

in testimony whereof I affix my signature.

DENNIS E VIRTUE. 

